His Ship Has a Clone Bay
by faintlyfarting
Summary: A lone Pilot jumps into a new sector and must follow the Captain's orders or risk being thrown out of the airlock. Not that that would change anything, because his ship has a clone bay.


His Ship Has a Clone Bay

"The sector scan is complete, Captain. I've located a single Mantis ship whose weapons have no chance of breaking or bypassing our Shield, but–"

 _A great catch, we could fight them as long as we'd like. Perhaps I'll have him train on piloting and shields so we stand a better chance later on. Unfortunately engine training is out of the question... I wonder if such a weak ship would have shields strong enough to train weapons on?_

"–it also appears that our weapons are too weak to damage them."

 _Ah. So we'll both be training against the other. Perhaps I'll just have him get as skilled as possible on piloting, shield, and weapons before we move on. We desperately need more scrap, but if our weapons are ineffective that only leaves the teleporter. Mantis ship? Surely he can't defeat a Mantis crew alone. What else can he learn about them?_

The silent intercom in the cockpit comes to life, and the Pilot receives his first order:

"Move to Sensors."

"Right away, Captain!"

...

* * *

"Three Mantis are manning weapons, shields, and engines, while a Rockman–"

 _Quite the fearsome crew. He doesn't stand a chance in hand-to-hand combat._

"–pilots their ship. Their ship also has oxygen, sensors, and a backup battery."

 _Looks like we're completely safe, then. But there's still no way he could ever hope to kill even a single crewmember. Although perhaps with the clone bay we just installed–_

A speaker above the sensor screen crackles to life:

"Do they have a medbay or a clone bay?"

"Neither, Captain."

"No combat drones?"

"Not a single active drone aboard their ship. They have no drone system."

"Train on piloting, then shields, and then weapons until you feel comfortable handling each system. We will deal with their crew afterwards."

"Aye aye, Captain!"

...

* * *

The Pilot speaks aloud:

"I've become familiar with the various intricacies of the systems you requested me to train on, Captain."

"Good. Now lets get our rewards. Go to the teleporter room."

"What?"

"The teleporter room."

"Surely you can't be serious?!"

"Have you forgotten who controls the doors and life support?"

"But–"

"The math is simple. We have a teleporter and a clone bay, and they have neither a medbay or a clone bay. It will be trivial."

"Trivial for you! I'm the one that will have to–"

The ship rumbles ever so slightly, and hairs on the Pilot's arms begin to stir.

"–risk my life fighting those horrific creatures while all you have to do is just sit back and–"

A slight breeze now blows through the ship.

"–perform your ridiculous calculations, while I'm the one bleeding and–"

The slight breeze quickly grows into a small hurricane, violently sucking the Pilot through an open door and throwing him directly into a wall. The doors slam shut, and he lies limp on the floor for some time.

...

* * *

The Pilot soon awakens and silently murmurs:

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Good. If only you had listened sooner you would have had more health for this first confrontation. Move to the teleporter room after you repair that dent in the wall."

"..."

...

* * *

"So you're sure about this? I'll come back like nothing happened?"

"You have nothing to worry about. I have seen many die in battle and come back unharmed thanks to the miracles of modern technology. Are you ready?"

"I'm just a bit worried about what will happen–

The doors in the teleporting room lock with a quiet click.

"–since I've never so much as gotten into a bar fight back home–"

Bright green orbs of light begin to materialize throughout the room.

"–and HOW could I possibly do a thing against such terrifying aliens–"

The room is covered in a blinding light as the Pilot's familiar surroundings disappear. He blinks a few times and opens his eyes to reveal a bright red insect charging directly at him! Yet there are patches of green on the Mantis, and the Pilot sadly realizes the enemy crewmember is completely drenched in blood.

The pilot's head slams into a wall as he watches his body fall to the ground on the opposite side of the room. Everything fades to black, and what little warmth remains fades until his entire being is a small speck of weakening thoughts and emotions in an increasingly empty void. His memories of childhood fade away. Friendly faces become dimmer and less recognizable until they too melt into the void. Years spent studying and training in the fleet academy blur together and disappear. He even forgets the wife and child patiently waiting for his return. Finally, the Pilot even forgets his very own name. And though he is willing to give up all of this, one terrible truth remains. One horrific fact screams and thrashes and violently expands until it occupies all of what little remains of his fading consciousness.

...

His ship has a clone bay.


End file.
